Graham Yallop v India @ the Adelaide Oval

As we head across to Adelaide for the final test of this series, my mind drifts back to my youth; last century. In the fifth test of the Australian India series of 1977-78, the sides were tied two tests all heading into the Fifth and final test. We had won the first two tests, India the following two. Australia made five changes coming into the match, with four debutants, and the recall of the left handed victorian batsman, Graham Yallop. He had played three tests in the 1975-76 series against the West Indies, before returning to shield ranks. Now he was back the test side.
Yallop set the Australians on a roll, top scoring with 121 in a tally of 505. Complementeng Yallops ton skipper Bobby Simpson made 100, the highest score by an Australian in a home test. In a tight test we won by 47 runs, and Yallop had restarted his test career. This century was the first of eight he managed. He played a total of 39 tests, including 7 as captain when Australian cricket was torn asunder during the WSC split. In his 39 tests he scored 2,756 runs with an average of 41.13. His top score of 268 @ the MCG when we played Pakistan in 1983-84, in which was a stellar season for him . Unfortunetaly he injured himself during the triangular one day series later that summer. He returned for one test against the West Indies @ the WACA in 1984-85, before being dropped. His first class career ended up ignominously when he was part of Kim Hughes team touring apartheid South Africa.
So off to Adealide for the final test of this series. Can India gain their second win there? Will they lose in a tight finish like 1977-78, or 1991-92? May the best side win.

Glen Yallop’s story is interesting in its own light. A bloke who was on the outer from Ian Chappell’s brand of aggro cricketers from the 1970s. I don’t know what he did wrong but he was never accepted into the inner sanctum.

Good point Barry. He played 3 tests in the 75-76 drubbing of the Windies, then did not return until our final test v India in Adelaide in 1977-78. His whole test career was stop-start, never seemingly able to consolidate a spot. We can only hypothesise why .

Nice work Glen. I remember Yallop’s domestic season in 82/83 was so good that he just had to be picked for Australia – I think he scored the most runs ever for a Shield season that summer. A very elegant batsman, he had finally nailed down the no. 3 test spot until that serious knee injury in the one-day game in early ’84.

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